The season it began with a “simple” penalty. Now the Trapani Shark it no longer exists. There farce has officially come to an end. The club of Valerio Antonini excluded from the championship Serie A with immediate effect due to “lack of competitive equality”. And now the group Of return becomes a big question mark. The “non matches” and the dramas of the last few weeks leave room for one classification remodeled a 15 teams (in which a sola relegationand no longer two as per the regulation). The promotions, the corsa ai playoff and the PalaShark sold out they are already a distant memory. Trapani ends up forgotten, but the basketball Italian he is guilty of yet another sporting fool. But how did we get to this point?
The season begins with a penalty
To follow all the stages you need to do a step backwards per month of maggio. Because the real wake-up call comes with the prima penalty Of –4 points (to be served during the 2025-26 season) for irregularities in the payments social security e tax. From then on it is the beginning of a effect waterfall endless. Because a November Trapani receives a further point Of penalty. And something is starting to move on the field too.
Repesa says goodbye, Alibegovic asks for transfer: the exodus begins
Il chaos definitely breaks out December. After the international break, the coach Jasmin Reweigh – after some discontent expressed for not having been regularly paid as per the contract – he doesn’t show up for training and tenders his resignation which was initially rejected by patron Antonini. The Croatian coach and his staff leave Italy, effectively leaving the bench to his collaborator Alex Latins. The team doesn’t train and so does the captain Amar Alibegovicafter having expressed his desire to leave, is put out of the squad. Then find the way Of free yourself: “What I experienced cannot be defined in any way professionalismFrom here, the club begins to publish a series of press releases delusional. It’s the beginning of threats and some reconstructions imaginative. This is a short one ride: “Trapani Shark ha Always fulfilled regularly to their own obligations contractual and therefore sent it back to sender his reconstruction of the facts. Repesa has today chosen to abandon the squad a season in progressrunning away, without saying goodbye to anyone, least of all what he defined as his people.” The truth begins to come out. And in the Shark house the most valuable pieces escape: after the captain, too Timothy Allen moves abroad.
First the exemption, then the match without a coach
As if nothing had happened, however, there season continues. AND Trapani continue to play both in Italia that in Europa. Thanks to one exception temporary the assistant Alex Latins coach the team against Treviso e Tenerife. Shark wins both races, but the one that is passed off as a business on the field it is yet another piece alarming. Once the permits are over, Trapani is forced to play without a head coach. Against Udine, in a PalaShark that heavily contests the president, the new captain John Petrucelli acts as player-manager. The Trapani case becomes of national interest.
One fine per game, then the new penalty
Not just me points Of penalty and the risk of ending up forgotten. With the farewell Of Allenthe company suffers a fine Of 50mila euro per game. The reason? According to the DOA (Annual Organizational Provisions) for professionals, Article 13.4 paragraph 3 underlines that: “The number minimum of contracts to be filed it’s 12of which minimum 6 must be stipulated with Italian-trained athletes”. With a roster Of 11 players regularly membersand having not found any replacement, the fine is automatically triggered. Antonini doesn’t give up and attack all the system sui social. Do not debts and the discontent of fans increase. After the match against Vareseil ds Valerian D’Orta announces the club’s desire to do not take part to the away match in Bologna. The Italian championship is starting to take a turn fold unpleasant. And as if that wasn’t enough, due to “administrative irregularities in registering for the 2025/26 championship”, Trapani is penalized by another 3 points. Having reached -8 (at least 12 are needed for automatic exclusion), the Federal Council lays the foundations for one radiation which has now become one question Of days.
A week of fools
The new year marks the end of the race. In a week, with three “farce” matchesTrapani creates all the conditions to do so hunt. Meanwhile the roster and halve: in addition to those already mentioned Alibegovic e Allen, Hurt moves to Tofas Bursa, Ford al Bahcesehir, Petrucelli al Gritates Eboua at the ASVEL Villeurbanne. On January 4, the team does not show up in Bologna and loses by default (0-20). Two days later, to avoid a huge fine from FIBAAntonini’s team “plays” i play-in Of BCL in Bulgaria – against l’Hapoel Holon – with five players (two of which come from the youth team). Three of them go out for “injury”, il young Patti commits the fifth foul and after about 7′ – with only one player on the pitch – the referee decrees the end of the match with the score being 38-5 (con relative exclusion of Trapani from the European competition). After yet another penalty by another 2 points (accompanied by the two-year ban on President Antonini), over the weekend the same scenes also occur in LBA. Against Trento the match lasts only 4′. The players leave the field through tears and the chants of a fan base that no longer exists today.
The official decision: Trapani is excluded
On January 12th, at the end of a meeting joint between vertices Of FIP e Lega BasketTrapani comes excluded from the championship. The last similar case was that of Mens A lot Sienaexcluded from the men’s Serie A2 championship on 19 March 2019. Having canceled all matches played up to now by Trapani Shark (as required by art. 17, paragraph 3, of the Executive Match Regulations), the club was subjected to a fine of 600mila euroequal to twelve times that envisaged for the first waiver in the Official Contribution Notice (as provided for in art. 56, paragraph 2, of the Justice Regulation).
Antonini’s arm wrestling
He always spoke “of one truth That prima o Then it would have come to the surface.” Ha threatened per months the Federation. “They have me abandoned everyone, someone take these two teams and bring them forward. I broke my ass, now they have to give us the points back immediately. Dear FIP, dear Lega Basket, you must give us everything back otherwise withdraw the squad from the championship with immediate effect.” He looked for the clash media without filters. Ha broken il relationship con i fans who have always supported him. The result is the one predicted for months: Antonini “loses” the case. And now the FIP is taking legal action against him.
And football?
The great chaos in the world of the basket it is also reflected on football team. The penalties hey dissatisfiedin fact, are hitting the Serie C club. After starting the season with 8 penalty points for administrative irregularitiesin recent days the Federal Court sanctioned Trapani with another 7 penalty points to be served in the current sports season for violations of an administrative nature. The club had been referred last November 6 following the report of the Independent Commission for the Verification of the Economic and Financial Balance of Sports Clubs. Referral that had arrived “for failing to take action within the deadline of October 16, 2025to the payment of the emoluments due for the monthly salaries of July e August 2025 in favor of members, employees and collaborators in the sports sector”.
